Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1887-04-14

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DEACON DURHAM
If she could have got away from Linwood
it would not have been so hard. The bald
rusticity and poverty of the lives of those
around her never was so hateful to her Only
for her mother and the children she could
have turned her back upon this scene The
busy whirl, tho excitement of city work have
fascination for the young Shirley could
have plunged into these and found rest. At
least she could have found congenial intel
lectual companionship. Hero she was as
utterly alone as Robinson Crusoe on his island.
| But had not her father said-"Take care of
| your mother, Shirley, take care of them all!
| There was nobody to take care of the
| children, to have patience with her mother,
absolutely nobody but Shirley. Here she
was, and here she was to be tied to her
country school, correcting the bad grammar
of the children, listening alternately to the
vulgar neighborhood clack and the peevish
complainings of her mother, putting her
hands too to work, now with tho needle, now
in household labor and out in the grounds.
That was to be her life forever. hum-drum,
like the clicking of blacksmith beetle. OH
if she could only get away! But no!
She faced her prospect and saw that the
battle must be fought out in Linwood. Fate
is hard on women.
Finally Shirley observed that this eating
her heart out in silence was beginning to dis
turb her seriously. How she Ionged for some
break in the dull monotony of fretting?
One morning she found her brother Pet Sc
riously i'll of fever. He became worse
through the day. Shirley herself went for
the doctor.
Back of the village was hideous patch of
ground of several acres. 1t was called the
common" possibly from the fact that it was
common dumping ground for all misceIla-
neous rubbish Of the town. In the growing
season it was covered with weeds.
The summer had been tho rainiest one in
many years. As Shirley passed by the com.
mon she saw it was covered with stagnant,
bubbling water. Poisonous exhalations
seemed to rise from it and glisten in the sun.
She entered the village. Rank weeds fringed
the street in front of nearly every house. The
stagnant water lay in pools along tho road
way, at intervals, through the whole village.
She wondered how it was she had never no.
ticed the weeds and decaying water before.
She had scarcely been in the village since
her return. But now she was struck with the
sickly, greenish- yellow hue on the faces of per-
sons she met. Surely, they did not look like
that always. She neared the center Of inter-
est in the village, Simpkins' grocery. She
saw something unusual had taken place. A
huddle of men, sparsely sprinkled with men,
bers OF the weaker sex, were gathered there.
A look of gloom, Of fear was in their faces.
An epidemic Of fever had broken out in the
''illage. The children and old people were
dying. Some Of Shirley's best pupils were
down with it Being SO wholly taken up
with her own ,griefs, Shirley had not heard
Of it.
For, something unusual, Deacon Durham
was in the throng. Moreover he was talking,
and that a3citedly. He was in his shirt
sleeves, hig skeleton arms waving to and fro,
his thin, gray locks shaking with excitement
as he talked. There was the gleam Of fanati-
cism in his eye.
"1he wrath of the Lord is upon Linwood,"
Shirley heard HIM say. "This sickness is
Judgment upon the people for their sins. The
children walk in the ways of the ungodly.
They go swimming in waters on the Sabbath
day. The women are disobedient to their
setting themselves up on the level
Of men. They attire themselves in gay ap-
parel, not conducive to the'glory of God, yea,
bonnets with flowers in them.
Whereas sin came into the world by wo-
man, therefore is the anger Of the Lord kim
He'd against this town. These presumptuous
females have brought profane instrument
Of music into the Sabbath school"
His eye fell on Shirley. The crowd parted
lso-l1k ak har
The deacon continued his fierce denuncia-
lion:
"Yea, following the lead of goddess female
teachers, they have set up the scandalous
practice of praising the Lord with fiddles.
The Almighty will not hold them guiltless.
1 suffer not woman to teach.' This people
have departed from the straight way. There
lore is the sword Of the Lord against them.
Therefore visit them with the pestilence
hat walketh in darkness, saith tho Lord.
Woel woe! woei to Sodom and Gomorrahp
ooh, bother! Deacon Durham" said Shir-
ey ''that's nonsense. There is not a word in
;he Bible against praising the Lord with tid-
Hes And as to washing In waters, II the |
,hildren of this town did it good deal oftener,
hey would be better off and healthier. The |
Lord never said female should not teach, |
either. It was a man said that But Iquite |
lgree with you that the Almighty has sent a
on Linwood You are right that
His wrath is kindled against this people for
heir sins, truly enough. He is visiting His
wrath upon them because they are lazy and
lovenly. Look at that common out therel
Ii is blister on the face Of "a civilized COM
nunity Thats where the fever comes from
Mostly. 1t has rained nearly every day this
eason! The wind has been. from the west
It has brought disease and death upon its
wings from that foul, reeking pond over
here. Look at theSesnasty puddles in front
'fyour very doors! Look at. these masses of
'ank, rotten weeds. Tive hotrs' work week
rom each gentleman who spends 80 much
eisure time in ths grocery would change this
lirty,g ,pokey, little town into o garden of
eden. But they don't give it.. They let the
common Lie fostering in the sun, month after
month. bringing fever and sickness This is !